by Thinus Ferreira
It was time for some out-of-the-box thinking in the third episode of MasterChef SA's fourth season on M-Net (DStv 101) on Wednesday evening when the contestants were divided into two teams for a team challenge and tasked with preparing lunch ... for a group of health care workers.
Chef Bertus Basson dropped by Makers Landing as a guest judge for the red team with Charmaine as team leader, and the blue team with dentist Dr Harri as the team captain who were competing for immunity as a team in Thursday's episode that will be a pressure test.
"During this lockdown, the entire restaurant industry came to a standstill. Stuck at home, we were forced to reinvent ourselves. Even fine dining establishments had to resort themselves to the previously unthinkable: making takeaway meals," said judge Gregory Czarnecki.
"Just like that, a new trend was created - fast fine-dining."
For the challenge, each team had to make 24 lunch boxes with two fast fine-dining dishes.
The first dish had to use sustainably sourced fish, while the second dish had to be a fine-dining take on an iconic South African workers' lunch. It should also be possible to hold and eat one of the dishes with just one hand.
The red team prepared Amasi fried fish with slap chips and tartar sauce, as well as a Durban lamb curry for a ubuntu bunny chow with spinach dombolo (dumplings) and salsa.
The blue team made a Cape Cream Mille-Feuille sandwich, as well as Putu Arancini balls that is spicy mince balls filling and chakalaka.
The blue team won, which means that they will be watching from the balcony during Thursday evening's episode as the contestants who were in red, take part in a pressure test.
Take it away
"This episode gave an interpretation to the Covid-pandemic where suddenly restaurants had to look at take-aways. They had to start boxing stuff," says Homebrew Films producer Paul Venter.
"Bertus Basson was our guest judge because he is just the King of the Box when it comes to fine-dining take-aways. The guy's running five restaurants at the moment and he does these most amazing boxes."
"He says it's just amazing to get to the homes of his clients - when they open their front doors in their shorts - and then he gives them their box. He gets to see them in a different light while he's bringing them this fine dining experience."
"The nursing staff and health workers from the Somerset Hospital visited for the episode and we gave them the feast of the take-aways so thank them for the role they've been playing during Covid to save lives."
"Episode three of MasterChef SA, as are all of them, are just a very feel-good, South African show celebrating our local food culture," he says.
ALSO READ: MasterChef SA S4 Day 2: Out for a duck.
